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Yup, all wired differently.
Balaclavas for me just put too much moisture on my face; tried one once at 8 degrees and ended up stopping and taking it off.

Yeah, there's definitely a moisture issue on the half-balaclava, as I often can't breathe sufficiently by using only my nose. In the current temps, and for my current length of rides, the moisture hasn't been a huge problem but I can see it could be, as it gets even colder... Love the idea of a full-head helmet that Tania mentions here (would eliminate my ski goggles as well as half-balaclava); tho I think I'd encounter a different problem, in that my head is a furnace chimney, normally -- even a light fabric skull cap worn under a normal vented helmet makes me way too sweaty to live with, in the cold. I can't really wear winter hats off-bike either, for the same reason; the sweat just starts flowing, if the top of my head is covered.

For those looking for nose/mouth covering that still allows for breathing, this is what I use: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UATJ5Y/ I can't recommend it enough if you, like me, prefer to keep your face warm in freezing temps.

Any suggestion for keeping feet warm and dry when temperatures are below 30 degrees? I currently use neoprene toe covers and high viz pearl shoe covers with merino wool socks. But after 45 mins, my feet are freezing. Any help would be appreciated.

Any suggestion for keeping feet warm and dry when temperatures are below 30 degrees? I currently use neoprene toe covers and high viz pearl shoe covers with merino wool socks. But after 45 mins, my feet are freezing. Any help would be appreciated.

I don't use cycling shoes, but I am trying this one, which can easily handle 20 degrees weather with thick socks, and they are lightweight. They get sweaty with light socks in the 35+ weather. I also got these winter boots from REI Outlet, but it turned out they weigh 4.0 LBS! Never had the chance to try them outside, maybe when it gets below 20.

REI has at the moment has $20 off $100 offer for Outlet items ending this Wednesday.

Any suggestion for keeping feet warm and dry when temperatures are below 30 degrees? I currently use neoprene toe covers and high viz pearl shoe covers with merino wool socks. But after 45 mins, my feet are freezing. Any help would be appreciated.

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I also can't keep warm with just shoe covers below 35°. I have two sets of boots, which both work well. One pair of fairly old Northwave Celcius boots are comfy for 25-45°. After a couple hours at 25 my feet will be chilly, but nothing too bad. They are not fully sealed (my feet wouldn't stay dry if I stepped in a puddle) but the uppers are goretex (they kept my feet warm and dry in rain on Friday, for example).

I also have a set of Specialized Defroster boots which are good down into the teens. I am sure after a couple hours in the teens my feet are cold, but I try to avoid ling rides in those temps. The Specialized are really nice boots, but they are a bit bulkier/heavier and so I tend to default to the Northwave when temps are not extreme. I believe these are fully sealed/waterproof too, though not sure I have really tested that.

Any suggestion for keeping feet warm and dry when temperatures are below 30 degrees? I currently use neoprene toe covers and high viz pearl shoe covers with merino wool socks. But after 45 mins, my feet are freezing. Any help would be appreciated.

Will be watching the responses! I'm still wearing my biking/clip shoes (which have tiny perforations all over the upper face) -- so I've taken to wearing over-shoe waterproof covers (well, they're still open along the bottom/sole, of course) to act as a bit of wind-block... and combine that with ShowersPass 3-layer waterproof socks.
Longer rides (over an hour) my toes will still get cold, but basically a manageable level. (In contrast to my first-ever cold ride; made the rookie mistakes of cotton socks and baggies inside, so the socks got damp and BOY did my toes freeze; I was actually somewhat concerned when I got home and realized they'd been wind-chilled while wet!)

Anyway - I'd love to hear how effective some of the specifically-for-winter cleat-compatible shoes or even boots are... {Edit: Like the Shimano MW5 shoes: https://www.rei.com/product/121535/s...ike-shoes-mens}
I'd seriously think about investing the dough to keep my feet warmer than "manageable" throughout winter, especially as I have yet to bike into the low 20s or teens.

I've got the older MW81's. They're worth it for me vs hiking boots because the cold often comes with ice and I've got enough to worry about without my feet sliding off the pedals. They're warm, and much more breathable (i.e., less sweaty) in my experience than shoe covers over warm-weather bike shoes. It doesn't help you now, but the end-of-season discounts on bike boots tend to be significant.